Hautes-Pyrénées has an area of 4,464 km2 (1,724 sq mi), or 0.81% of the country.[5] It is part of the Occitanie region and has two small territorial exclaves—a remnant from the Middle Ages—located within the neighboring département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques.

The Pyrénées, along the border with Spain, cover the southern half of the department, with 66% of the department. They form a natural barrier between France and Spain. More than 30 mountains here are over 3,000 m (9,800 ft) high.

The climate of the department is an oceanic climate with relatively hot summers, mild winters and abundant rainfall, Cfb in the Köppen climate classification.[7]

The average amount of precipitation for the year in Lourdes is 1,005.8 mm (39.6 in). The month with the most precipitation on average is November with 109.2 mm (4.3 in) of precipitation. The month with the least precipitation on average is July with an average of 50.8 mm (2.0 in).[8]

The average temperature for the year in Lourdes is 11.8 °C (53.2 °F). The warmest month, on average, is July with an average temperature of 18.9 °C (66.0 °F). The coolest month on average is January, with an average temperature of 5 °C (41 °F).

The inhabitants of Hautes-Pyrénées are known, in French, as Haut-Pyrénéens (women: Haut-Pyrénéennes).[15] They are also known as the Bigourdans.

Hautes-Pyrénées has a population, in 2014, of 228,950,[3] for a population density of 51.3 inhabitants/km2. The arrondissement of Tarbes, with 143,753 inhabitants, is by far the largest. The other two, Argelès-Gazost and Bagnères-de-Bigorre, have respectively 38,813 and 46,384 inhabitants.[12]